Starscream's First Christmas
by LittleMewLugia
Summary: Deserted by Barricade and with his ego smarting, Starscream decides to take out his frustration on Sam, whom he blames. However, things don’t quite go the way the Seeker plans.
1. Chapter 1

Starscream's First Christmas.

Summary: Deserted by Barricade and with his ego smarting, Starscream decides to take out his frustration on Sam, whom he blames. However, things don't quite go the way the Seeker plans.

Rating: T

Disclaimer: Transformers isn't mine. It belongs to Hasbro and Dreamworks/Paramount.

Chapter One.

Starscream was flying just for the sake of it when he received notification of an incoming message from Barricade. It was about time, the Seeker thought resentfully. After failing to turn up for the Mission City battle, the Decepticon police cruiser had been conspicuous by his absence.

Starscream noted that the message was a recorded one. Annoyed that Barricade wasn't even contacting him live, let alone face-to-face, he played the message back.

"This is Barricade. By the time you receive this, I will have departed from the surface of this miserable planet. The war is over for now. The AllSpark is lost, and I refuse to follow you for nothing more than revenge. I intend to find some more of our kind and find another purpose with them. You are no leader, and I will not follow you. Barricade out."

White-hot anger flared up in Starscream's processors at Barricade's insolent message. Barricade had left this miserable planet, leaving Starscream alone here. As he absorbed this information, a frisson of fear quickly tempered his anger. Barricade was gone. Barricade had abandoned him, and if there was one thing Starscream feared, other than permanent deactivation, it was being abandoned.

Starscream's processors whirled. He was alone, abandoned by Barricade. He could now call himself the Decepticon leader now that Megatron was gone, but the AllSpark too was gone, and unless he left the planet and found new followers, his new status was meaningless. The AllSpark, and Megatron of course, had been destroyed by that squishy creature called Samuel James Witwicky.

Starscream's vents clicked up a gear in anger. It was that squishy's fault that he was lacking followers and the AllSpark, his fault that he, Starscream, had been abandoned. Oh, Barricade had the right idea, to leave this miserable rock with its organic infestation and find followers, but that did not mean that he would abandon his revenge. No, first he would find the squishy and destroy him for destroying the AllSpark and humiliating him, then he would leave the planet, assemble as many followers as he could find, and then come back and destroy the Autobots utterly. Then perhaps he could find a new purpose, perhaps find a solar system or two to rule over.

Starscream altered course, engaging stealth systems that went beyond human technology, making himself barely visible to the eye and totally invisible to radar, and altered course towards the Witwicky house.

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Sam grinned at Mikaela as they sat back with a glass of sherry each. It was Christmas Day, and both she and her Mom had been invited to spend Christmas with the Witwicky family. They had accepted, so they had shared a Christmas meal, and both he and Mikaela were expecting Bumblebee to pop back and take them to the Autobot base. One of the unused hangars had been carefully decorated, and Bumblebee was co-ordinating the party to follow. Sam had been surprised to be told, once he'd explained Christmas to Bumblebee, that on Cybertron, there had a festival that was not so different.

"It was called the AllSpark festival, and we gave gifts too, although there were some differences." Bumblebee had said.

"You're on Earth but you're of Cybertron." Sam had said. "So hold AllSpark festival Festivities on the Earth Christmas, and use it to remember the AllSpark. You can give gifts and express thanks for your own Spark, and follow any customs you can for your festival." Sam had suggested.

"You and Mikaela should be there too, and you can follow yours as well. We can combine the customs of our two worlds." Bumblebee had replied.

This was why Sam and Mikaela, once they had finished their sherries, would be heading outside, for Bumblebee had promised to pick them up at nine. Sam and Mikaela already had presents ready for Bumblebee and the other Autobots, and had carefully used paint and silver paper, painting them with Cybertronian glyphs they had learned off Bumblebee, and had painted vague cube shapes on it. Sam leaned back, dropping his arm around Mikaela's shoulders and pulling her close, completely unaware that he being watched.

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Starscream was bent into a most uncomfortable position, bent almost double so he could peer in at them through the windows. He was careful not to get too close, but had managed to slip a sound amplifier onto the window so he could hear the conversation going on. He could, of course, have merely dropped a bomb, but he had noticed the Witwicky-creature seemed to escape from the most unlikely situations. If he destroyed him up close, perhaps by crushing him in a hand, he could be sure he wouldn't escape.

He would wait until Sam came out, and then he would pounce.

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"Sam, tell me about this AllSpark festival, you said Bumblebee had told you about it, so what's it all about?" Mikaela asked.

Sam nodded.

"The AllSpark Festival, Bumblebee told me, had not been practiced for many vorns - about 83 human years - even before the AllSpark was blasted off into space." Sam told her. "He said he could only remember seeing it once, and that was when he was very young, but it was something that happened roughly once a vorn." Sam racked his brains to remember what Bumblebee had told him.

"Before the conflicts, before the end of Cybertron's Golden Age, the AllSpark Festival was a time for celebration. Dwellings and factories and workplaces were decorated for it, and it took weeks, Bumblebee said." he told Mikaela.

"Bumblebee said that the AllSpark was taken from its great domed hall in Iacon and paraded through the city, as part of a procession. Wheeled containers full of useful or beautiful things were pulled by volunteer Cybertronians, and every Sparkling – that's what Cybertronians call their babies - and adult in the crowd who had come into being since the last Festival was offered a gift. These could be a physical, tangible gift, such as a jewel or some new technology that could be attached to their form, or it could take the form of some new programming, for example." Sam told Mikaela.

"He mentioned that anyone wishing a new Sparkling to bring up could bring a suitable body to the procession, which would be presented to the AllSpark by an AllSpark Guardian and then returned to the new parent, along with an enSparking gift for the new one." He explained. "Bumblebee told me that the AllSpark would be taken all over the planet, to every major city, and processed through the streets of each before being returned to the Great Dome, It was a time for families to come together, and gifts were exchanged, and thanks given for the AllSpark's gift of existence and Sparklings. So, you see, their customs are not so different to ours." Sam told her.

She snuggled into him some more, and drained her sherry. Sam did likewise. He stood.

"Come on, time to get our coats on. 'Bee will be here in five minutes." He said. He helped her with her coat and put on his own.

"Here, 'Bee said there'll be food and stuff suitable for us to eat there, we sent the gifts on with Ironhide earlier, so all we need to bring is ourselves." Sam said.

"Then let's go!" smiled Mikaela, opening the door and walking out. Sam followed, and almost walked into Mikaela, who was staring at a very large pair of robotic feet that were sank two inches into the ground. They were not feet that Sam recognised.

As the stooped-over figure the feet belonged to straightened up, Sam stepped around Mikaela, trying to shield her from the figure. Even if Sam had not recognised the Seeker's wide-shouldered silhouette, the blazing red optics would have left him in no doubt at all about whose side the figure was on.


	2. Chapter 2

Starscream's First Christmas.

A/N: Bond-partners, in this story, does not necessarily equal slash. I believe that bond-partners can be close friends, soul-mates, lovers, or some combination of any of the three: Cybertronians can also have more than one bond–partner.

Also, Starscream is acting very OOC, but I need him to for the story, and hope I have explained well enough why.

Chapter Two.

"Mikaela, run!" Sam said, knowing that he could not hold the Seeker off for even a second, but willing to try and give her that second. However, the Seeker took two steps backwards and said "No need, you are reprieved for now."

Sam and Mikaela stared at the Seeker, his words and actions temporarily stunning the both of them into immobility.

What Sam did not know was that Starscream had listened in on his conversation with Mikaela, had seen them snuggle, and had heard Sam explaining about the similarities between the AllSpark Festival and Christmas.

Starscream was somewhat older than Bumblebee, although younger than Optimus Prime and about the same age as Ratchet, and he could recall more than one AllSpark Festival. All had been enjoyable, all were associated with only good memories, but it was his first one that he had enjoyed the most, for he had gone with his mentor, Skyfire.

Starscream had not has a sparklinghood as such, Seeker-sparks tended to go straight into adult Seeker bodies, their need to fly making learning the long way around virtually impossible. Starscream had been Sparked shortly after one AllSpark festival, and by the time the next had come around, he was apprenticed to Skyfire as a junior scientist. Even when Skyfire had disappeared and Starscream's apprenticeship was transferred to another, he had not changed his colours or stripe – patterning to reflect this, and had still kept them when he had qualified out of respect and love for his first mentor, and his first bond-partner.

Hearing Sam talk about it to Mikaela had brought various memories back, and Starscream suddenly found that he didn't want to ruin things for what would be their first AllSpark Festival. After all, he could wait a few weeks, surely, surely someone who has as long a lifespan as his could wait that long. Starscream's memories of festivals he had been to only accentuated his own loneliness, reminded him of his – abandonment by first Skyfire – although Starscream knew whatever had happened to Skyfire was not deliberate – and now by Barricade. He no longer felt the need for revenge anymore, more a desire for company, but of course, that was not something he could have, So Starscream turned away and walked towards the road, ready to fling himself into the sky and perhaps fly into a storm in an attempt to lose this feeling of loneliness.

The sound of an engine was heard, just as Bumblebee purred into the road, transforming with his battle mask down and his cannon out.

"No, there's no need for that, Autobot, I do not intend to fight tonight. Enjoy your festival, you and your friends." He stepped as if to go around Bumblebee, but Bumblebee shifted to bar his path. Sam could not understand Bumblebee's actions, but Mikaela could, because she could sense that something about Starscream was not right. She had recently spent enough time around the Autobots to recognise that his body language was off: Starscream was not standing quite straight, neither was he being as arrogant as she had expected. It was Mikaela who voiced a question.

"What's wrong, Starscream?" she asked.

It was, however, Bumblebee who responded.

"I intercepted a transmission from Barricade: it seems he has left the planet." Bumblebee said.

"You mean – Starscream is alone?" she asked.

"There have been no new Decepticon landings." Bumblebee stated. "The others who came are dead, except for Skorponok, and as far as we know, he is somewhere in the deserts of Qatar." Bumblebee answered.

"No-one should be alone at Christmas!" Mikaela said. "He can come to the party!" She turned to Bumblebee with wide eyes. "Pleeeease?"

Sam spluttered: sometimes Mikaela could be a bit too forgiving. However, Bumblebee too was nodding.

"The hangar is big enough for Starscream to stand up in, there is enough fuel, I think it could be done."

"That's ridiculous. I'm a Decepticon and I'm supposed to celebrate with Autobots?" he asked. His voice, however, sounded unconvincing even to Sam's ears: there was no haughty arrogance, it was almost as of he wanted to be contradicted. Once again, it was Mikaela who spoke next.

"As I recall, Ratchet once told me that Decepticons don't despise freedom as everyone seems to think, but believe in their own brand of freedom – the freedom to do as they please." She stated. "Is that true?"

"Yes." Stated Starscream, puzzled and wondering where this was going.

"You're not just any Decepticon though, are you: Megatron's death opens a power vacuum I'm told you are eager to fill. Currently, that makes you the next Decepticon leader, right?"

"Yes." Confirmed Starscream, still puzzled.

"Then you have the authority to call a temporary ceasefire." Said Mikaela. Bumblebee gave a strange squeak of surprise, but quickly recovered himself.

"And then you would be able to come to our Base under Protocol Six of the treaty of Iacon." Bumblebee stated. "No hostilities on either side – and the Decepticons signed up to Protocol Six if nothing else." Bumblebee said.

Starscream appeared to consider this, and then said "Yes. You are correct. I shall call a ceasefire, as Decepticon Leader, I have the authority. I shall not, however, explain my reasoning."

"Of course not, Leader Starscream." Said Mikaela, with a polite incline of the head. Sam stared at her: had Ratchet been teaching her diplomacy and negotiation alongside the medic – mechanic training he knew of?

Whether she had learned it or knew it instinctively, it had the desired effect: Starscream straightened up and started "I propose a ceasefire between the Autobots and the Decepticons: I propose that it last for an initial orn, reviewable if need be."

Bumblebee inclined his head: Mikaela had given Starscream a way to accept without losing face, particularly as he made the first announcement and not the

Autobots. It gave the impression that he was in control as he was suggesting it, rather than the Autobots.

"Then we should leave: if we have been seen, it will probably be thought a hallucination resulting from over-consumption of ethanol-based substances, but we should not, as the humans put it, 'push our luck.' I have contacted Leader Prime and he has agreed to the ceasefire. If you wish to fly to our Base you will find our gates open and someone will guide you to the hangar where the party is being held." Bumblebee informed him.

"No, I shall enjoy some more flight, and then I shall join you." Starscream stated, and then took off, quickly disappearing into the dark sky.

Sam looked at Mikaela, shrugged, and she smiled at him. Bumblebee flicked his doors open and they clambered in.

"What's an orn?" asked Sam.

"A Cybertronian time unit that is about thirteen of your human days long." Bumblebee responded.

He purred off down the road to take them to the Autobot base.

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Bumblebee drove them straight there, and confirmed with Ironhide that the weapons specialist was aware of the ceasefire. He was, and Bumblebee took Sam and Mikaela straight into the hangar, let them out, and then transformed himself.

They were not the only humans there: Will Lennox and Epps were there, and so was Maggie. They were led over to where a human-sized set of table and chairs were set out, and were plied with food and even alcohol. When Sam stated they were underage, Will smiled and said "Well, I don't think anyone here will be telling." Sam didn't push the matter further and sipped from a can of beer.

Starscream made his entrance ten minutes later, just as the Cybertronians were about to pull the giant crackers Ironhide, Ratchet and Jazz had helped assemble: the humans were warned to stand back. Once Starscream had been welcomed, the crackers were pulled and the different-sized hats Mikaela and Ratchet had made were a success: they even found one to fit Starscream's head and he even consented to wearing it after a few large buckets of Ratchet's specially-brewed high-grade energon.

Then it was time to give out the presents: Sam apologised that he didn't have one for Starscream, but Starscream said he wasn't bothered anyway. The Autobots seemed happy with their presents (car sponges and shampoo from Sam, bottles of wax and chamois leathers from Mikaela) and then Epps and Will roped Mikaela and Sam in to singing some carols. The Autobots only needed to hear the carols through once to pick them up and sing them the second time around.

Once the humans decided they had sung enough, Bumblebee' s optics briefly dimmed and then he spoke.

"As this is an AllSpark Festival celebration as well as a Christmas celebration, Optimus Prime and I are going to sing the songs we used to communicate any needs and our thanks to the AllSpark. Not all Cybertronians can do this, but Optimus Prime and I are both "sensitives", we were able to communicate with the intelligent part of the AllSpark essence. Of course, these songs are obsolete now, our ability has no more purpose, but we hope you will enjoy them."

Bumblebee and Optimus looked at each other and both began to hum.

Bumblebee's rich tenor rose in harmony with Optimus' rich bass note,

the two tones combining into one beautiful piece of music. Everybody

was stunned by the simple but lovely tune the two created.

It was Mikaela who caught motion at the corner of her eye, and turned

to see Sam's eyes roll back into his head as he collapsed limply to the

floor.


	3. Chapter 3

Starscream's First Christmas.

Chapter Three.

"_Sam!"_ cried Mikaela in alarm, dropping to check his pulse – Ratchet had been teaching her basic human first aid as well. Optimus and Bumblebee broke off their song at her call, and Ratchet went over and started scanning him. His metal eyebrows descended over his optics a little as Sam stirred and opened his eyes.

"Wha–what happened?" he asked in confusion.

"You fainted." Mikaela said. She helped Sam to stand as Ratchet frowned again.

"Gee, that was embarrassing, sorry." Sam said. He looked over at Optimus and Bumblebee. "I didn't mean to interrupt what you were doing." He said. "Carry on, guys."

"No, Sam, it is okay." Said Optimus. He turned to Bumblebee and nodded. Ratchet began scanning Sam again thoughtfully as the two began their song anew.

"Mikaela, get ready to catch him." Ratchet murmured quietly. Mikaela's eyes widened at Ratchet's order but she didn't argue, just moved to comply. A few seconds later she was carefully lowering Sam back down to the floor. As Optimus and Bumblebee stopped singing again, Ratchet shook his head.

"No, Prime, Bumblebee, keep going, I have a theory that I wish to either prove or disprove." Ratchet said. The two turned to each other and renewed their haunting harmony. Sam, whose eyelids had begun to flicker as the song has stopped, stilled again as Mikaela watched anxiously and Ratchet kept scanning him.

Another scanning bean joined Ratchet's, as Starscream also began to scan.

"AllSpark energy?" The Seeker said incredulously.

"That is what I am reading also." Ratchet confirmed. "I am reading an energy trace that is consistent with the energy the AllSpark used to produce when it was being used to enSpark bodies, or communicated with." Ratchet said.

At that moment, Sam twitched slightly as Bumblebee's and Optimus' songs changed in both tone and tempo, speeding up, a querying tone beginning to creep into Bumblebee's tune, an urgent note being added to Optimus' song. The two singer's optics were now fully shuttered in concentration, and around them any other activity had ceased.

A few moments later, Optimus and Bumblebee both ended their songs, tailing off and unshuttering their optics again.

Bumblebee moved over to crouch by Sam as he stirred again, and helped him sit up.

"What? Did I pass out again?" he asked in evident confusion.

"You don't recall anything?" asked Ratchet. Sam shook his head.

"The Essence told us that at the moment of the AllSpark's destruction, it had to transfer to avoid not only its own annihilation, but the obliteration of everything in the immediate area from its energy discharge," Bumblebee stated. "It could only transfer into something the Cube was in direct physical contact with." He said.

"And transferring into Megatron was out of the question because he was dying." Ratchet finished. "So it went into Sam?"

"Yes, it went into Sam, but the reason it did not go into my brother was because its very presence in him would have healed him, and Megatron would have then subverted its power for his own purposes." Optimus said.

"What are you talking about?" Sam asked.

"It seems the AllSpark Essence transferred itself into you after the battle of Mission City and lay dormant inside you. When we sang, it awoke and communicated with us." Bumblebee explained.

"So, the squishy is so much more than just a squishy?" Starscream asked.

"It would seem so." Ratchet said, stooping and picking Sam up and raising him to optic level: Sam squirmed uncomfortably at the close scrutiny. "I will have to run more scans and apply a few judicious and non-invasive tests to be sure, but I think they will confirm that effectively, Sam _is_ the AllSpark."

"Hey, wait a minute!" Sam said. "Tests? _What_ tests?"

He was effectively ignored as Starscream said "Then I suggest we extend the ceasefire indefinitely? As a scientist myself I can lend my skills to your research, and my own curiosity regarding this situation has been piqued." He put his hand out as if to take Sam from Ratchet, but Ratchet moved his hand across his body, holding Sam out of the Seeker's reach.

"You can help by all means, Starscream, but_ I_ will lead the research project." Ratchet growled. Sam began struggling and pushing against Ratchet's hand: Ratchet just tightened his hold to secure him. Sam whimpered as the medic and the Seeker argued, and Bumblebee moved round to try and take Sam from Ratchet but Ratchet curled his arm inwards and held Sam against his chest, his voice rising against Starscream as they debated the research team hierarchy. It only stopped when Mikaela ran over to Ratchet, gave his foot a hefty kick, and yelled "SHUT UP!_ BOTH_ OF YOU!"

Of course, Mikaela's kick didn't hurt Ratchet, but he did notice it, and her voice was at a pitch and volume that both of them could not fail to notice. Ratchet looked down at Mikaela , optics dilating to full apeture in surprise, and did not need to scan her brain activity and adrenaline levels to register that she was angry. Starscream too looked down at the human, who was glaring up at Ratchet with two flaming spots of colour on her cheeks and a big frown on her forehead.

Once Mikaela knew she had their attention, she spoke again, not quite shouting, but still loud and obviously angry.

"From Starscream I might have expected that sort of attitude, but not from _you_, Ratchet! What happened to your medical ethics? What happened to the Autobot ethos of freedom?" As Ratchet opened his mouth to speak, she spoke again, not letting him say a word.

"Look at you both, arguing about who gets to work on Sam and in what way, when Sam has not even been_ asked_ how he feels about all this, or even if he's willing? Look at Sam, Ratchet, look at him as a person with emotions and feelings, _look_ at him, you're _scaring_ him!"

Ratchet looked up from Mikaela to the small form in his hand, the small form who had put his hands over his face and was doing his best not to shake.

"Bumblebee, could you take Sam and calm him down?" he asked, reaching out to place the human boy in Bumblebee's waiting hands: Bumblebee held Sam close to his chest, stroking him with one finger.

"Mikaela's right, Starscream, we need to ask Sam if he's okay with that, in fact we need to ask Sam what he wants to do in general." Ratchet said.

"I can't answer right away, I need some time to think." Said Sam from where Bumblebee was holding him. His voice was shaky and sounded suspiciously as if he had at least been close to tears if not actually crying, but he had taken his hands away from his face and was looking at Ratchet. "Do I have to decide _now_, this is supposed to be a _party_!" he said.

"No, Sam, you don't have to decide anything now." Ratchet said. "I apologise for causing you distress. In my eagerness to find out about the energy inside you I forgot that you were a person who should have a say. It is no excuse, but may serve as an explanation for my actions if you recall that we have been used to dealing with a nonliving vessel for the Essence, in the form of the AllSpark Cube."

Sam nodded." I guess that makes sense." He said. "Can we leave discussing this for now and get back to the party?"

"Sure, Sam." said Bumblebee. He gave Starscream a look. "May I suggest we all give Sam a chance to get used to the idea, and let him approach and raise the issue again. After all, we have twelve human days - almost an orn - of the agreed ceasefire left, and if needed, it could be extended – I don't think we'd have any objections to that." He said, looking to Optimus who nodded and said "No objections at all."

"Very well." Starscream said, drawing himself another bucket of Ratchet's best high-grade energon. "I guess we should enjoy ourselves now, and discuss serious stuff later."

Bumblebee suddenly stepped forward and hoisted Sam into the air in both hands above his head.

"Bee, what are you doing?" Sam asked. "You're not going to process me round the hangar as the new AllSpark, are you? I want to get down, to dance, and have fun!"

Bumblebee's response was to turn to face everybody, still holding Sam aloft.

"I don't know about the theories we've all come up with in the last ten minutes, which of them, if any, apply to Sam, but there is one thing I know Sam _is_ – and that is one of the best friends I have ever had. I'm not at all sure if I could bond with a human or not, so I'm just going to declare that if I knew I could, and that he wanted it too, I would bond with him."

Stooping, he put Sam down and then stood again.

"He has also made the most sensible suggestion of all of us. Let the party resume!"

Tuning into his radio, Bumblebee started blasting out some popular music tracks. Sam and Mikaela immediately began dancing. Once they had moved a safe distance from the humans, the Cybertronians in the room looked at each other, and joined in.


End file.
